MSO

Client Biography

MSOMusic. Culture. Lifestyle.

With its iconic and cutting-edge artist roster—and its representation of internationally heralded music festivals, tours and events--MSO has the eyes and ears of America’s exuberant music fans.

With the prowess to represent high-quality, honest music from many musical genres—pop, rock, electronic, dance, hip hop and country including the various sub genres of punk, metal, screamo, goth and Americana--MSO is plugged not only into the music itself but into the culture and lifestyles that continue to rapidly grow around the music.

Through the skilled efforts of the agency’s expert staff of music industry veterans and young blood, the world-famous agency has becomerespected as the ideal conduit between the taste-making media and music devotees that have propelled so many of its clients into the limelight.

Always forward thinking, MSO was the first independent music publicity firm in America to have its own web site back in 1996. Founded by one-time Rolling Stone rock journalist Mitch Schneider, the agency designs tailor-made, passionate press and TV campaigns that focus on the talent, vision and goals of the individual client, artist or event.

In a market where CD sales have started to give way to the phenomenon of digital downloads and video games--and the touring market has grown to include the explosion of music festivals and package tours--MSO has embraced the change, recognizing that music’s role as a cultural lightning rod is more pronounced than ever.

MSO is–and will always be–about Music. Culture. Lifestyle.

Media Exposure By MSO

MSO VISION: We specialize in tailor-made, passionate press campaigns highlighting the talent and vision of the artist. We match up the best writers for our clients wherever possible, resulting in articles that reflect the artist’s virtues and passion. Our approach is strong and positive, but avoids hype. By utilizing our national and local contacts, we give our clients the targeted exposure they’re looking for while building on their image and achievements.

MSO FIRST: Because of its prestigious and varied client list, MSO is often called first by magazines like Rolling Stone, Blender, Interview, GQ, Revolver and Guitar World when they’re looking to secure artists for stories and issues of a thematic nature. At the same time, MSO's close relationship and clout with key talent bookers at television shows give the company an important edge. These shows not only book our artists months in advance for an album release--they contact us immediately when they’re suddenly in need of a guest--enabling us to secure last-minute but impactful bookings.

MSO NOW: Whether it's a news item at Rollingstone.com or an album review in the Boston Globe, the MSO staff moves quickly to deliver clips--national and key regional--to clients by regularly checking the key outlets on the Internet as well as the sites of the top 25 newspapers across the country.

MSO TEAMS:With the number of media outlets and freelance writers growing at a rapid pace, how does a publicist truly keep up and effectively pitch this ever-widening menu? MSO has met this challenge by assigning a team of three or four publicists to each artist, giving the company the ability to deliver far-reaching campaigns.

MSO COMMITMENT:The role of the publicist is more crucial than ever, with increasingly constricted radio/video playlists. We believe people decide to make purchases (albums, tickets) based on multiple exposures to an artist, via television performances, magazine features, newspaper features and/or weekly previews in addition to radio and video exposure. In many cases, artists can not count on radio/video play, so press--and the Internet--are the only ways fans are becoming familiarized with new music.

MSO DIVERSITY: Acclaimed new artists and legendary musical pioneers alike are represented by the company, whose roster encompasses many musical genres: rock, punk, metal, pop, soul, cutting-edge, hip-hop, electronic and dance. This diversity enables MSO publicists to work very closely with a wide range of media outlets--television shows like "60 Minutes," publications such as VIBE, Magnet and URB, or underground punk fanzines--and thus increase the possibilities of coverage for our artists.

MSO ABOVE AND BEYOND: The company’s commitment to its clients extends beyond publicity. We’ve secured acting spots for Green Day and Everclear on the acclaimed series “The Chris Isaak Show,” for example. MSO also launched Korn’s Issues album on the 1999 Halloween episode of “South Park,” where the band debuted their single "Falling Away From Me.” In addition, this episode featured the band as animated characters.

MSO ROOTS:The essence of good press exposure is based upon a keen understanding of the media, and MSO's founder Mitch Schneider truly has a deep knowledge of it. As a New York freelance journalist for Rolling Stone, Crawdaddy, Hit Parader and Circus magazines in the mid to late '70s, Schneider earned an inside understanding of the way media functions--and what they need from a publicist. This insight and experience give Schneider and the MSO staff a distinct advantage in the publicity field.

MSOPR.COM:MSO was the first independent music publicity firm in America to have its own website, which launched in 1996. This site, updated daily, gives journalists access to individual client web pages, where photos, bios, press releases, items and tour dates are posted.

MSO ON THE ROAD: We do specialized press for touring clients, encompassing daily papers, weeklies, and monthlies, local fanzines, regional Internet outlets and local TV. For every show day, we submit a comprehensive media report outlining secured features and reviews, plus TV crew and photographer updates. With an office based on the West Coast, MSO's Tour Press Department stays on top of things in a way that East Coast publicity firms can’t. Because of our time difference of 1-3 hours from many of our bands' tour markets, clients are able to reach us for emergency verification of journalists, TV crews, etc. at the show--during the time when an East Coast office may already be closed for the day.